Gentlemen of the West is Agnes Owens’ first novel. It is the acutely observed series of episodes in the life of the narrator, a 22-year-old bricklayer whose situation and lifestyle will be immediately identifiable to many readers.

Published to celebrate Agnes Owens' centenary year in 2026.

'A moving picture of a hard, surprising world which is forcing a young man to understand both it and himself'

Agnes Owens was always a writer, although for the majority of her life she was preoccupied with making a living and domesticity. She married twice, brought up seven children and variously worked as a typist, cleaner and factory worker. It wasn’t until she attended an evening creative writing course that she wrote her first novel Gentlemen of the West, published in 1984 by Polygon to widespread critical acclaim; she would go on to write a further five novellas, including A Working Mother and For the Love of Willie, and three short-story collections. She died in 2014.

Dani Garavelli is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Scotland. She has written features, interviews, reportage, reviews and opinion columns in publications including The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, The Times, the Guardian, the Herald, the Scottish Review of Books and the Big Issue. Dani also writes a weekly opinion/political column in Scotland on Sunday.